December 4, 2018

The rule was part of an old ordinance outlawing the throwing of missiles, such as stones, at property or people within the town.... The law itself is thought to date back to the town's founding about 100 years ago, although no-one is believed to have been charged with the offence.

Laws like that are incredibly common. For example, see Section 8.01(2) of the village code of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin:

(2) THROWING OR SHOOTING OF ARROWS, STONES AND OTHER MISSILES PROHIBITED.

No person shall throw or shoot any object, arrow, stone, snowball or other missile or projectile, by hand or by any other means at any other person or at, in or into any building, street, sidewalk, alley, highway, park, playground or other public place within the Village of Whitefish Bay except for purposes of hunting with a bow and arrow or crossbow in accordance with this subparagraph...

NJ I think is the only state where you cannot buy, or I suppose own or fabricate, a slingshot.

This has made scofflaws of otherwise solid citizens, such as myself. Believe me, the squirrels have it coming to them. They are learning to be a bit more cautious when the slider opens, but I cannot detect any other effect it has had on them.

You cannot buy a blowgun, either. It seems like a less practical weapon to me than a slingshot. On the other hand, you don't have to worry about being out hiking in the woods and getting a blowgun dart in your throat (seasoned with one of our famous poisonous tree frogs, no doubt). Arrrrrrgh! [dies]

According to the BBC article, "The family are said to be now looking at the town's other unusual laws - including one that only recognises cats and dogs as pets." And so it begins. Soon lions, tigers and bears (oh my!) will be roaming the streets of Severance.

One of my formative experiences for my views on the current Title IX sexual assault adjudication controversies was my college experience being prosecuted for a snowball fight. It was a case of mistaken identity; I wasn't even there, and I had proof that I was in class at the time. Even though the offense was trivial, the star chamber process was exactly the same. Actual evidence was disregarded, and all that mattered was some dipshit said I hit her with a snowball.

Gawd, I so detest these maudlin fake media events that elevate children to "media stars gone viral". Oh, the city council just happened to have an engraved plaque for the kid to commemorate his throwing of the first legal snowball! And there's a TV crew to capture the whole event for a week's worth of local and national news broadcasts!

This is cringeworthy to the level of the college football teams that help an unfortunate "Make a Wish" child "run" for a "touchdown". The complicit adults and parents are so proud of themselves.